Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to integrated circuits, and, more specifically, to integrated circuit power management within an integrated circuit.
Description of the Related Art
Management of power consumption and thermal output is important in integrated circuit design as circuits are designed to operate within particular temperature ranges. To ensure operation within this range, an integrated circuit may include multiple temperature sensors located throughout a die to monitor internal temperatures. Temperatures measured by these sensors may be used to select appropriate operating voltages and/or operating frequencies. For example, a processor experiencing high demand may select to use a higher operating frequency and higher voltage. As the processor nears its thermal limits and risks overheating, the processor may instruct a cooling system to take appropriate actions (e.g. increase processor fan speeds), and may decrease its operating frequency and/or operating voltage.
In addition, an integrated circuit's operating speed or operating voltage has dependency on die temperature, hence the die temperature information can be used to optimize the frequency or and voltage to optimize the performance and power.